This is an important talking point of those who want to pass
this reform bill. They got out the word
that they need to control the narrative.
The public is against an “amnesty plan.”
But if you can get them thinking it is something else, they are more
open-minded about it.
So, Paul Ryan (who has a reputation of being a budgetary
conservative) said this last Wednesday: “Earned
legalization is not amnesty. I will debate anybody who tries to suggest that
these ideas that are moving through Congress are amnesty. They’re not. Amnesty
is wiping the slate clean and not paying any penalty for having done something
wrong. Nobody’s suggesting that that takes place.”
Way back on July
16, 2001, Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary for George W. Bush, was
attempting to define amnesty in a White House press conference. The exchange went like this:
“Question: Go back
-- what is the distinction on that? I
mean, because that is a point of confusion I think for many of us. If the President is against an amnesty
program, but one of the options is to regularize status, which would eventually
allow people to qualify for citizenship, isn't that an amnesty?
“MR. FLEISCHER: No,
amnesty is an automatic granting, as opposed to a formalized process that
everybody who comes to the United States,
in accordance with the laws, has to go through.
It's a very lengthy process and it's very different.”
Source link:
So, the problematic nature of the definition has been around
for quite some time. If we take the
Ryan/Bush definition of the word “Amnesty,” we must conclude the following in
the definition:
- Wiping the slate clean.
- Not paying any penalty.
- Automatic granting.
- No formalized process.
Now, here are a couple of dictionary definitions:
Oxford
an official pardon for people who
have been convicted of political offenses
Origin: late 16th century: via Latin from Greek amnēstia
'forgetfulness’
Webster
the act of an authority (as a
government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals
Law. an act of forgiveness for past
offenses, esp. to a class of persons as a whole.
Cambridge
politics & government. a decision by a government to forgive people
who have committed particular illegal acts or crimes, and not to punish them:
[C] The state has declared an amnesty for individuals who pay their outstanding
back taxes.
It is interesting to note that politicians
regularly create tax amnesty programs where people come forward and pay their
back taxes, but the penalties, fees and jail time are waived. Surely Paul Ryan is aware of how these
amnesty programs work.
In protecting the precious narrative
Ryan has made himself look foolish. He
reminds me of the child who lies through parsing of words to avoid
punishment. “I did not hit my sister,”
he declares. A closer examination of
events is that he swung at her with a book and the book hit her.
Such tactics are not reserved for
children. Bill Clinton, in his finest
courtroom manor, taught us the varied meanings of the word, “is.”
The GOP Platform of 2012 clearly
illustrates that Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio are on the wrong side of this issue:
“In this country, the rule of law
guarantees equal treatment to every individual, including more than one million
immigrants to whom we grant permanent residence every year. That is why we
oppose any form of amnesty for those who, by intentionally violating the law, disadvantage
those who have obeyed it. Granting amnesty only rewards and encourages more law
breaking”
Perhaps these advocates of some sort
of legalization program ought to ponder the above statement for its meaning and
the warning it gives about the future.
